ADAPTIVE RECREATION
City of Pearland Adaptive Recreation
The addition of Adaptive Recreation programs provides opportunities for all individuals to socialize with their peers and to meet and integrate with other members of their communities.
initiation of the Adaptive Recreation programs, we have seen participation levels increase, indicating a continuing need and desire for these types of programs. The Adaptive Arts, Crafts and Cooking class has seen the largest jump in participation, increasing from a class of 12 to now hosting more than 30 individuals every other week. With minimized barriers and an environment that promotes skill building, participants are able to experience individual successes while increasing their overall well-being. Programs, such as the Adaptive Arts, Crafts, and Cooking class, allow participants to engage in creative activities while socializing with others. The Arts and Crafts aspect of the class gives individuals the opportunity to showcase their talents and is also a fun way to relieve stress. The classes that focus on cooking allow individuals to learn new life skills that can help them in their daily lives and become more independent. Other programs, like Adaptive Basketball, Yoga and Kayaking, help participants increase their physical fitness while providing normalizing experiences. Through Adaptive programming, the Adaptive Recreation division is able to enhance an individuals’ physical and social life while also fostering new recreational interests that cover a broad spectrum of leisure activities. The use of recreation adapted for our community with disabilities has allowed Pearland Parks & Recreation the opportunities to improve the overall health, functional abilities, and quality of life for all of our citizens. Our Adaptive Recreation Division helps Pearland continue to be a leader in the quality services we provide to connect our community to people, parks, and programs.
Eight years ago, the Pearland community at large expressed the need to include all citizens in Parks & Recreation programs. Until that point, there was a lack of specialized programming to include people with disabilities. The City of Pearland is proud to lead through quality programs that meet the needs of its citizens; so in the fall of 2010, Adaptive Recreation was added to the list of Parks & Recreation divisions. This type of Adaptive programming can help prevent isolation and provides an avenue for participants to explore new activities. By expanding their leisure options, the City of Pearland’s Adaptive Recreation division helps them obtain new skills, which increases self-confidence and helps build new relationships. Not only do the Adaptive Recreation programs help the community with disabilities but they also help able- bodied citizens understand some of the difficulties faced by our participants and the unique ways they have learned to thrive while facing the challenges of their disability. This awareness helps alter attitudes towards persons with disabilities and creates opportunities for Adaptive Recreation participants to learn social skills through new interactions, thus building a heightened sense of community. Pearland’s Adaptive Recreation programs are designed to enhance the quality of life for individuals with disabilities by providing them with the opportunity to participate in everyday activities that have been adapted to their needs. It is important that these opportunities are provided to individuals with disabilities so that they can play an active role in their community. The programs have served those with Autism, Down Syndrome, those with developmental disabilities, those with physical disabilities, and many others. Since the
36 / Pearland in Motion / Fall 2018
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